Manhattan
ClassicIBA OfficialWhiskey, vermouth, and old New York.
Rich, warm, and spirit-forward, with rye's baking-spice bite at the center. Sweet vermouth brings dark fruit, vanilla, and a rounded softness; Angostura laces it with clove and bitter aromatics; and the brandied cherry leaves a whisper of sweetness at the finish. Silky, stirred, and deeply satisfying.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Rye Whiskey or Bourbon
- 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Brandied cherry · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Add the whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters to a mixing glass with ice.
- 2
Stir until well-chilled, about 30 seconds.
- 3
Strain into a chilled coupe.
- 4
Garnish with a brandied cherry.
The Story
The Manhattan emerged in New York in the 1870s, and like most drinks of its vintage its exact birth is wrapped in a good story — this one crediting the Manhattan Club, supposedly for a banquet thrown by Lady Randolph Churchill (a tale the calendar has since called into doubt). What's certain is its influence: whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters, stirred and served up, became the template for a whole family of cocktails, from the Rob Roy to the drier Martinis that followed. A century and a half on, it's still the benchmark by which a whiskey cocktail is judged.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
